load_design_documents.sh fails

bigcouch got removed + reinstalled on thrips (production / now cdev). i just redeployed, but ran into this error:

...
   - [thrips] notice: /Stage[main]/Couchdb::Base/Service[couchdb]: Triggered 'refresh' from 11 events
   - [thrips] notice: /File[/srv/leap/couchdb/designs/users/User.json]/content: content changed '{md5}7948934b97338a44e52b7f0cd7fa8b50' to '{md5}b2bccb6a9a527396f34483d706828cdf'
   - [thrips] notice: /File[/srv/leap/couchdb/designs/identities/Identity.json]/content: content changed '{md5}13f94ab0b3241681e32a1d5bb47fa767' to '{md5}8c0edba1d713fabca7b9080693c5f92e'
   - [thrips] err: /Stage[main]/Site_couchdb::Designs/Exec[/srv/leap/couchdb/scripts/load_design_documents.sh]: Failed to call refresh: /srv/leap/couchdb/scripts/load_design_documents.sh returned 1 instead of one of [0] at /srv/leap/puppet/modules/site_couchdb/manifests/designs.pp:17
...


root@thrips:/opt# /srv/leap/couchdb/scripts/load_design_documents.sh
resource not found when saving even though an id was passed
ERROR: 404 Resource Not Found: {"error":"not_found","reason":"Database does not exist."}
       failed writing to http://admin:PASSWORD_HIDDEN@127.0.0.1:5984/designs/_design/identities
resource not found when saving even though an id was passed
ERROR: 404 Resource Not Found: {"error":"not_found","reason":"Database does not exist."}
       failed writing to http://admin:PASSWORD_HIDDEN@127.0.0.1:5984/designs/_design/customers
resource not found when saving even though an id was passed
ERROR: 404 Resource Not Found: {"error":"not_found","reason":"Database does not exist."}
       failed writing to http://admin:PASSWORD_HIDDEN@127.0.0.1:5984/designs/_design/tickets
resource not found when saving even though an id was passed
ERROR: 404 Resource Not Found: {"error":"not_found","reason":"Database does not exist."}
       failed writing to http://admin:PASSWORD_HIDDEN@127.0.0.1:5984/designs/_design/users
resource not found when saving even though an id was passed
ERROR: 404 Resource Not Found: {"error":"not_found","reason":"Database does not exist."}
       failed writing to http://admin:PASSWORD_HIDDEN@127.0.0.1:5984/designs/_design/tokens
resource not found when saving even though an id was passed
ERROR: 404 Resource Not Found: {"error":"not_found","reason":"Database does not exist."}
       failed writing to http://admin:PASSWORD_HIDDEN@127.0.0.1:5984/designs/_design/sessions

(from redmine: created on 2014-01-13, closed on 2014-01-14, relates #4932 (closed))